Spring Onion & Potato Soup

A hot soup on a rainy day!! What else can you ask for? It was a perfect evening to cook some different soup.
It is a combination of potato and green onion.

Ingredients:
1 Large potato- washed, peeled and grated
Spring onion - 1 bunch
Butter - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon extract - 1/2 tbsp

Method:
- Boil two cups of water.
- Heat butter and saute green onion and potato for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add the boiling water to the pan and simmer for 5 - 6 mins.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Eggless Fruit Cake

Festivity is in the air!!

Here is my Christmas Baking for this year. I adapted this from Aayi's Recipe. Thank you!
This is an egg-less cake with some dried fruits and nuts that would make our taste buds want more.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour- 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tbsp
Butter - 4 tsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup

Fruits & Nuts - Chopped
Prunes - 1/3 cup
Dates - 1/3 cup
Raisin - 1/3 cup
Cashew - 1/4 cup
Almond - 1/4 cup

Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix them.
- Melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and add the dried fruits to them.
- When it cools add it to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix them.
- Heat the milk in microwave for about a minute and add it to the mixture.
- This will give a mixture of a sticky consistency.
- Grease the baking pan and transfer the contents to it.
- Bake for 30 min until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool it in wire rack, slice and serve!

Merry Christmas & Happy Baking!!

Healthy Hair Recipe

Health for us is not just the intake of right food at the right level, it also includes regular workout, care for our body, protection against danger and love for ourselves. As the topic for contest goes, " Love is a two way street: Love your hair and it loves you back! " it is our duty to care and nourish our hair.

First Step: Right Nutrients:


- Eat at least three fruits per day with vitamins, fiber and minerals.
- Reduce the intake of caffeine as it increases the excretion of water.
- Include nuts in your diet like that of almonds and walnuts.
- Drink 8 glasses of water per day.
- Adding cheese and yogurt to your diet will keep your hair shiny.

Second Step: Workout


- Regular exercise will improve the blood flow and pass the nutrients to keep hair healthy.
- Oil massage at least once a week will rejuvenate the root tips. 

Third Step: Protection:


- Protection against toxic chemicals and dirt is essential for a healthy hair.
- Wash your hair at least thrice a week.
- Use conditioner after every wash.
- Use thermal protectant while using blow drier and irons.

Healthy nutrition, proper care and our love will keep our hair so soft and shimmering that breeze will want to feel it.

Curry leaves powder (Karuveppillai Podi)

This is a link to my previous post of Curry Leaves (Karuveppilai) Kozhambu. This is a way to use Curry leaves for regular day-to-day use. This is spicy, yummy and can be mixed with rice or can be a side dish to Idli, Dosa or anything you like.

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - a bunch

Urad dhal -1/2 cup

Chenna dhal - 2 tsp

Red chilli - 2 to 3

Garlic - 1 clove

Salt - per taste

Procedure:

- Roast the curry leaves in a tava, till the raw smell goes. Be careful not to burn them.

- Remove and grind it to fine powder.

- Roast the Dhals and chilli in the tava till color changes a little to brown and remove it to cool.

- Grind this along with curry leaf powder adding salt to it. Make it into to coarse or a smooth mixture as per your choice. A coarse mixture will be easy to intake as it wont create cough.

- Cut the garlic into pieces and grind it to the mixture. 

- Curry leaves powder is ready. 

Note: As per previous request I have added garlic to this. Thank you Ramy.

The leaves of the curry plant is used in indigenous medicine as a tonic, stimulant and antiflatulent.

Hope you Like it!!

Curry Leaves (Karuveppillai) Kozhambu

I have always wanted to add curry leaves in my diet but sometimes it gets dried so easily and gets wasted. So I am going to use this recipe to use the large amount of curry leaves whenever I buy them. I came across this recipe from a supplemental book of a Tamil magazine. Here is the recipe....

Ingredients:
Curry Leaves - A bunch
Black Pepper- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 3/4 tsp
Red chilli - 2-3 (as per spice level)
Asefoetida - a pinch
Tamrind Paste - 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1tsp

Method:
- Fry pepper, cumin seeds, red chilli, asefoetida in oil till a pepper splutters.
- Remove it and grind it with tamarind paste and curry leaves till it is a smooth paste.
- Add a little water and boil the paste till it becomes a kozhambu.

As we all know, Curry leaf helps to keep our hair black and helps in hair fall control.

Mood swings?? It might be an idle mind!!

Are you getting angry over petty stuffs? Feel like taking on an argument for it? Are you hyperventilating? Digging your past memories to support your standpoint? RED Alert!!!

Do not continue to argue. Move out of the situation, drink water to cool you down, take a deep breath. Give it a break. Sit down and think what made you to argue over an insignificant situation.

There might be a lot of reasons,

• health related
• stressful life

but if it is not either of these, it might be an idle mind. This is what they call “An idle mind, is a devil's workshop”. Is it an end of a holiday? You might not want to get into the groove of routine. Make a pledge to work on something, to change your mood. There might be stuffs to be cleaned in the house, or a long pending hobby to be done with, or a call to a friend that has been postponed over the blame of routine. Involve these activities and when you are done, your mind will tell you why you reacted in that way.

Hope this works as a part of anger-management.

Be Happy!! Cheers!!

Capsicum Fried rice!!

Here comes a change from the usual mixed rice varieties. I found it from Food & Wine magazine last month. This can be customized to Indian cuisine by adding some green chillies, cloves, bay leaf. But i preferred to retain its Chinese touch with just pepper to spice it up. I dint expect it to come out so well. The aroma was so inviting but its taste way way beyond everything. A must try i would say! It is simple to make and takes very little time.

Ingredients: Makes for two
Rice- 1 cup
3 cloves of Garlic
A small piece of Ginger
Salt- per taste
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 medium sized
Capsicum- 1/2 Red, 1/2 green, 1/2 Yellow.
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:
- Cook the rice separately.
- In a pan add oil and fry finely chopped ginger and garlic.
- Fry onion till glassy.
- Dice the capsicum into small pieces.
- Fry capsicum along with rest and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Saute till half cooked and remove from fire.
- Mix the cooked rice and serve hot.

Try it and give me your feedback.
See you next time!! 

Interesting Facts - Chilli Powder

According to me, chilli was just a spice to add taste to our cuisine. Or I have heard from our elders that too much of it will make us aggressive by behavior. But I came across a health magazine which had some interesting health facts about chilli powder. Here are those;

Lose weight faster with chilli powder:
                           This seasoning has compounds that will actually help to boost your metabolism. Add a sprinkle of these hot stuff to lose weight.!!


An ingredient for pedicure:
                         Relaxing with addition of chilli powder for pedicure can help you relaxe and revive from your ache. The “Capsaicin” in chilli increases blood flow to your feet and help to soothe and warm them.
Try this as your version for the spa's foot scrub,
1 tsp Honey
^1/8 tsp Chilli powder
2 tsp Epsom salt
1 table spoon of unscented Jojoba oil
Make the above to a creamy paste. Apply and rub for 1 minute, wrap in warm wet towels, leave until cool and then wash. Don't try this if you have a sensitive skin, which might cause burning rather than tingling sensation.


For tummy troubles:
                        Inclusion of chilli powder would help reduce the incidence of tummy troubles like indigestion and acid reflux. But over dosage might lead to ulcer.


Pest-proof in your Garden:
                       Sprinkle chilli powder around your pot or edge of your garden to repel insects and animals. The hot flavor will keep the insects and animals away.

Hope you found this post interesting!!!
See you next time :)

Strawberry Shake !!

This is my first experiment with milkshakes. It has been a long wait for strawberry to quench my taste buds. Though it is one among the best in aroma and flavor, it might not impress a new-come by its taste. But after a few bites I fell for its taste too. It is rich in water content and has considerable amount of Potassium. Here is the best way to have strawberry, in the form of milkshake.

Ingredients:
Strawberry - 1 cup
Chilled Milk - 1 1/2 glasses
Sugar - 4 tsp
Vanilla extract - 1tsp

Method:
- Wash the strawberries and add them to mixer along with milk, sugar and the extract.
- Blend them till smooth and serve.

Amazing Facts - Muscles!!

Here are some interesting facts about our muscles.

• You have all the muscle fiber you will ever have at birth.  Once damaged they can’t be replaced.  
• Muscles account for approximately 40% of your body weight.
• Your hand contains 20 different muscles.
• If all your muscles could pull in one direction you could create a force of 25 tons!
• You take approximately 5 million steps per year using your leg muscles!
• No matter how much you exercise you can not increase the number of muscle cells you have. By getting bigger, via strength training, you are simply increasing the size of each muscle cell. 
• The largest muscle is the Gluteus Maximus, the muscles of the buttocks.
• The tongue is the only muscle attached at only one end and very strong for its size.
• The smallest muscle is the Stapedius.  Located in your ear, it is thinner than a cotton thread.
• We need 72 muscles to speak.
• A pound of muscle burns 75-100 calories each day simply by "being".
• The most frequently used facial expression is a smile and it takes about 5 to 53 muscles.
•  The muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body. It allows you to blink 5 times a second.

Amazing Facts - Heart!!!

Heart!! Everyone of us have heart to pump blood and also to love. Here are some interesting facts about heart that will make us fall in love with our heart all over again....

 -An adult woman's heart weighs about 8 ounces, a man's about 10 ounces.
-The heart begins beating at four weeks after conception and does not stop until death.
-A child's heart is about the size of a clenched fist; an adult's heart is about the size of two fists.
-A kitchen faucet would need to be turned on all the way for at least 45 years to equal the amount of blood pumped by the heart in an average lifetime.
-Every day, the heart creates enough energy to drive a truck 20 miles. In a lifetime, that is equivalent to driving to the moon and back.
-Because the heart has its own electrical impulse, it can continue to beat even when separated from the body, as long as it has an adequate supply of oxygen.
-The heart does the most physical work of any muscle during a lifetime. The power output of the heart ranges from 1-5 watts.
-Grab a tennis ball and squeeze it tightly: that’s how hard the beating heart works to pump blood
-Your heartbeats with enough strength to shoot blood a distance of 30 feet.

A hearty laugh - the kind that sends a stream of tears from your eyes - does more than warm the soul. Research has shown the guffaw can cause the lining of blood vessel walls called endothelium to relax, increasing blood flow for up to 45 minutes after the laugh attack. Damage to the endothelium can lead to the narrowing of blood vessels and eventually cardiovascular diseases.

Amazing Facts - Blood!!!

Blood is the fluid that sustains life. It is the medium that carries water, energy and nutrients to all parts of the body. Most of us know we have RBC,WBC, Platelets in our blood. Do we know the following about our blood??? Check out...

-Eight percent of a humans body weight is made up of blood.
-There are approximately 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body.
-Donated red blood cells can be stored for 42 days.
-Donated platelets can be stored for five days.
-Two million red blood cells die every second.
-If all the blood vessels in your body were laid end to end, they would reach about 60,000 miles.
-A drop of blood to travel away from the heart and back again in roughly 20 to 60 seconds.
-Five percent of blood supplies the heart, 15-20% goes to the brain and central nervous system, and 22% goes to the kidneys.
-Blood is such a good stain that Native Americans used it for paint.

Amazing Facts - Eye

Eyes are the most complex organs you possess except for your brain. Eye is our light to this universe. Here are some interesting facts about eyes.

-Of all the muscles in our body, the eye muscles are the most active .

-Each of our eyelashes has a life span of approximately five months.

-The eyeball of a human weighs approximately 28 grams.

-The eye of a human can distinguish 500 shades of the gray.

-People generally read 25% slower from a computer screen compared to paper.

-It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. 

-Eyelids get tired and so do the muscles around it, but eyes don't get tired and never need rest.

-Eyes dominates 75% of our brains activity.

-Our eye can spot a candle light 15ft away in complete darkness.

-The human eyes sees three colors:red,green,blue. These are basic colors. White is a combination of three, black is their lack. Yellow,purple are from two basic colors;these are secondary colors.

-Men can read fine print better then women.

-Your eyes are always the same size from birth, but your nose and ears never stop growing.

-The only part of the body that doesn’t contain blood vessels is the cornea.

A Rambo in Everyone:

Body type is exclusive for every individual. Just like women concentrate in their body shape for figure, the same plays a crucial role for appeal in men. Every guy of these days wants to flaunt with six-packs or the body of Rambo. It might not be easy to work out for Rambo shape unless you know where to concentrate. This can be easy if we know the right approach. Here is an overview of male body types and tips to make the best out of their construct. There are three general body types. The horizontal measure is to be concentrated for dressing.

The body types are:

Endomorph:

They have larger bones, larger thighs and rounded face giving them stocky appearance. They have high body fat than other body types.

Mesomorph:

They are said to have athletic build with broad shoulders and narrow waist. They can gain and lose weight easily than endomorphs.

Ectomorphs:

They are thin, linear with narrow hip and shoulders. They have the lowest body fat of all body types. They find it hard to gain weight.

Depending on body shape men can be:

Trapezoid:

This is the most desired body shape with broad shoulders and medium-narrow waist.

It is very easy to dress up as you have variety of options.

Inverted Triangle:

You have broad shoulders and narrow waist. The upper body is larger than lower body. A well fitted t-shirt or jacket with straight leg trousers and jean would solve the purpose.

Rectangle:

You have a straight torso and your shoulder, hip, waist are almost of same width. The aim is to create a trapezoid illusion by choosing dress to enhance shoulders.

Triangle:

You have tapering shoulders and wide waist. Jackets with padded shoulders can help to create a squared illusion.

Oval:

It is also called apple shape with larger stomach. The aim is to choose dress for appearance of longer and slimmer torso.

Source: bodybuilding.com, style-makeover-hq.com

Sleep Facts:

Sleep is an anabolic state of body which helps to rejuvenate and store energy for the next day. Though it is a state of physical rest, it cannot be considered as mental rest as the activities continue but at a suspended rate. Here are some facts about sleep.

-       Nine hours of sleep is sufficient for a human. Oversleeping (more than ten hours/day) may lead to Parkinson’s disorder at an older age.

-       Women need up to an hour of extra sleep and not getting it make them susceptible to depression.

-       Approximately one-third of our life is spent sleeping. Its quality and length will affect our performance, mood.

-       Not sleeping on a healthy mattress may deter your full potential.  

-       A tiny luminous ray from digital alarm clock is enough to disrupt our sleep cycle by causing the levels of melatonin (sleep inducing chemical) to fall within minutes.

-       Sleep solves our problem by strengthening memory. It extracts information from within the day, and the brain categorizes the information of the day.

-      Naps improve memory and can cut heart disease.

           -  If you lose two hours of sleep, you can impair your performance equal to a .05 blood-                      alcohol level.

Cervical cancer Awareness:

Cervical cancer is considered as the second major cancer in women next to breast cancer.  It is caused by HPV (Human Papilloma virus). The main cause of this cancer which killed Jade Goody was the lack of awareness and ways to prevent it.

What is cervical cancer?

It is the growth of cancerous cells at the cervix, the mouth of uterus. It starts as a pre-cancerous cell and would take years to develop fully to show out symptoms. If developed and untreated, it could spread to bladder, liver, intestine and lungs.

Causes:

HPV is the main reason for the virus and it spreads through sexual intercourse. There are many strains of virus, only types 16 and 18 cause death. The rest cause genital warts. Some other risks are:

·         Having sex at an early age

·         Multiple sexual partners

·         Weakened immune system

·         Poor economic status(not able to get pap smear)

Symptoms

Early cervical cancer has no symptoms. Symptoms that may occur can include:

• Continuous vaginal discharge, which may be pale, watery, pink, brown, bloody, or foul-smelling
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding between periods, after intercourse, or after menopause
• Periods become heavier and last longer than usual
• Any bleeding after menopause

Symptoms of advanced cervical cancer may include:

• Anemia because of abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Weight loss
• Pelvic or back pain
• Heavy bleeding from the rectum or bladder
• Leaking of urine or feces from the vagina

Tests & Diagnosis:

Pap smear tests are done to study the cells from the cervix. If unavailable, visual identification can be done by staining to detect the abnormalities in cervix.

HPV test:  The DNA cells of cervix are studied for cancerous growth. It is much accurate than Pap test. But this can be done only for women above thirty.

Prevention:

HPV vaccine: With girls getting sexually active early these days it is advisable to get them vaccinated at the age of 11-13. This Vaccine is effective only if administered before first sexual intercourse. It is administered as three doses, each costing around 3000.

Delay intercourse:Another way is to stay safe from intercourse and wait till you get married.

Sexual partners: Use of condoms can reduce the risk of infection. Having less number of sexual partners also can prevent from other STDs

Regular pap test: Pap test is recommended for women who become sexually active at young age. This cancer is common among women aged between 30-45. So it is better women go for pap test annually or once in five years after first negative test.

Prevention is better than cure. Let us know about the disease, prevent and fight back.

Source: Times of India, Google Health.

5 ways to Amplify Happiness:

Happiness is in us. We have been created with all emotions impregnated in our nerves and tissues.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions
-Dalai Lama”Life is a bumpy forest ride for each one of us, confronting the hidden enemies, overcoming the tough trail to reach the sanctuary to feel the peace and protection. Test of time might kick us into a dark burrow. Climbing up to reach the surface is for what we have been vested with power. Happiness is not lost when we are confronting a difficulty. It is when; we are going to experience it in multiplied quantity on overcoming the situation. Just as we train our muscles we can train our brain to be happy. Here are few tips to maximize happiness

5. Go with the flow:
This is the concept of being wholly involved in an activity. Let it be anything which takes you through its stride like a tiring match of tennis, or gardening. Engage in something that correlates to your personal strength and gives room to improve upon it.

4. Appreciate little things:
While you are on your way back home, take time to enjoy the beautiful sunset rather than listening to a radio along with the horns.
Make others feel better by saying “Thank You” for the little help they offer.
Jot down things you are grateful to relax.

3. Stay Positive:
You can’t just wait to be happy. Look out how to be happy and find ways to improve your life. And when it takes longer for the bend on the road or the silver lining, you need to look harder for it and keep trying. Persistence and positivity will shower happiness.

2. Connect with your localities:

Happiness in old age is related to the bond shared with friends and relatives. We always need someone to cling on, pat us when we are down. So build a community. Happiness can also be reaped by helping others. It is the joy of giving.

1. Get fit:

A healthy mind needs a healthy body. Exercise is said to reduce the stress hormone and will increase happiness. A regular workout of at least half an hour a day will improve positive feelings.